PS3 firmware update sees Blu-ray Bonus View, DivX added

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced the immediate availability of the latest system software update for PS3.

Version 2.10 will improve the home ent side of things by enabling the console to play the latest interactive Blu-ray disc movies, as well as increasing the number of video formats supported.

With the introduction of Blu-ray Profile 1.1 (also known as Bonus View, or Final Profile) the PS3 will be compatible with the next-gen (or should that be next-next-gen?) Blu-ray movies coming to market in 2008.

With features such as Picture in Picture, "richer" bonus features and interactive content, the 1.1 update will bring Blu-ray onto the same playing field as HD DVD as far as extras go.

This Blu-ray profile improvement will mean the PlayStation 3 will be one of the only Blu-ray players on the market in the UK with this kind of functionality.

The other new features are the much-rumoured support for DivX (also recently announced for Xbox 36O) and VC-1 video playback codecs, Version 2.10 also introduces an voice changer feature to "enhance" Voice Chat on PS3, enabling users to alter the tone and pitch of their voice from the Control panel during AV Chat.